Greta's birth in photos

more Henry funnies

(His "I just drank hot cocoa from a really large mug" face)

Another installment of funny things that have come from Henry over the past few months...

•for Christmas we gave him a spy kit so he's been working on the art of sneaking and being inconspicuous. #nothisstrength. One day he came into the room with all his spy gear and said to Dameon and me, "Okay, raise your hand if you want to be spied on!"

•he calls Parmesan cheese "carmage cheese"

•he says "figury" instead of "figure"  As in, "We need to figury out how to use this."  It's probably my favorite thing ever.

•the other day he told me that if you have five four times then you have twenty. Flabbergasted, I asked him how he knew. He proceeded to count his fingers and toes.

•comes bursting in the door with a pine cone he found in our yard and exclaims, "Mommy, look what I found! Now we can make syrup!"

•asked me if he could marry me. When I told him I'm already married he said that's fine because he'll just marry Greta or Warren.

Two months

Greta girl turned two months old on Valentine's Day and had her check-up the day after.

Her stats:

•12 pounds 5 ounces (84th percentile)

•23.5 inches long (87th percentile)

•15.75 inch head circumference (80th percentile)

•size 1 diapers (we are using cloth about half the time)

•wears size 3-6 month clothes

•smiles and coos often

•responds to momma's voice

•nurses every 2-3 hours during the day

•sleeps a 12-hr night getting up to eat about every 3 hrs

•doesn't like the car seat

•learning how to get out of a swaddle

•works hard to try to find her thumb

Greta's Story

Well, it's been seven weeks since this sweet baby girl joined our family and our hearts overflowed yet again. I'm honestly still in disbelief that I have a daughter because I so did not see her coming. I was sure she was a he and didn't even entertain the thought of having a girl. The boys in the house weren't convinced, though, and had started predicting pink several months ago.

The date was picked way back in May. December 14 it would be. On December 12, Dameon had a jazz band competition out of town and I knew I'd be pretty jittery so I asked my mom to 'move in' that day. She would then stay through Christmas. The kids were so excited to see her come and we got a room all ready for her. We spent the next two days getting organized for the week ahead...planning meals, doing laundry, wrapping Christmas gifts (and birthday gifts for Henry), and making sure our hospital bags were ready to go. It was hard to remember what to pack because it seemed like it had been so long since we had done this. And it seemed unreal that it was actually happening!

Sunday night we tried to go to bed early, since our alarm would be going off at 3. I think I got a couple hours of sleep but no food or drink after midnight made the heartburn extra difficult to cope with. Plus baby was wide awake :). Saying goodnight (and goodbye) to the boys the night before was a little difficult but I was glad that part was already over because I was feeling pretty emotional as we were gathering our things and heading out the door. I snapped a few pictures so I could remember...

The view from here

The boys' clothes laid out for the morning

Last belly photo: 39 weeks

The imitation Uggs that got me through all three pregnancies when my feet couldn't fit into any other shoes. I think I paid $15 for them in 2008!

A note for the boys

We arrived at Iowa Methodist hospital at 4:30 a.m. And had a little time to kill since we didn't need to check in until 5:15. The nurse led us to our room and we got settled before beginning all the admission procedures and starting the IV. I wish I would have snapped a few photos at that point but I guess my mind was a little distracted! 

Before they can take you to the OR they have to get a good read of the baby on the monitor. About the time they got the monitor situated, I started contracting really regularly and the nurse said this might have been the day Baby was ready anyway! It was about this point in time that my brother, Brad, and his wife, Katy, arrived. They wanted to see us and spend a little time with us before the delivery.

I hope I never forget how special this time was (and was with the two boys, as well). So much anticipation that 9 months has led up to! My doctor arrived shortly there after and then things started moving very quickly. The four of us had a chance to pray together and Brad and Katy quietly sang a song which I vividly remember repeating to myself as fear was starting to overcome me. Then Dameon suited up and we were on our way down the hallway to meet our baby! It's a very strange feeling to hold your IV bag and walk yourself to the operating room. All three times I've been surprised I actually made it there as I'm feeling like I just want to crumble with fear.

Next was the point where Dameon and I had to separate. He's not allowed in the room while they are prepping me and it's one of the hardest parts. The next ten minutes or so we're spent getting my spinal (ouch!) and waiting for that to take effect and also getting draped and hooked up to oxygen. My anesthesiologist was great and encouraged me to communicate with him all the way through if I felt like I was having any issues. Throughout my pregnancy I battled fears about this very moment and over and over I turned to Psaln 91. The Lord comforted me so much through those verses. I had worked to memorize parts of it and was praying I'd have the mental clarity to remember them now. I can't tell you how much I felt Christ's presence in every detail in that operating room! My fears were washed away!

Dameon was allowed in the room and was seated right next to me as the surgery began. It's always shocking to me how quickly the baby is born. Before we knew it they were delivering Greta and Dr. Lehman told Dameon to look over the drape and make the announcement. I couldn't see her but I could see him and his face said it all! After a brief pause (which he says was him scanning for parts and making sure he wasnt missing something!) he exclaimed, "It's a girl! Honey, it's a girl!" Then I heard my doctor say, "Well, hi princess!" And I was in such a state of shock that I just started laughing and laughing. Unlike when the boys were born, I was able to opt for a new procedure called a gentle c-section. This just meant I was able to have Greta lay on my chest right away instead of her being taken to a warning bed. There aren't even words to describe how incredible that was.

** I was going to insert a few photos here from her birth but my iCloud is being inpossible so I'll have to publish them separately or this post will continue to sit here in limbo!**

The first thing I noticed about her was how much she looked like newborn Henry but with a little less hair. Then we soaked in all her other details...dimples, plump lips, and super long fingers and toes! Our little Greta Kaye was finally here and I kept trying to imagine Henry's and Warren's reactions when they would soon learn the news that they got a baby sister!

warren's words

(This post should have been published in January)
I love this photo. I think it will forever remind me of this stage of Warren's life. He has become the biggest Momma's boy ever. It's funny because he didn't start out this way. If anything, he was partial to Dameon back in the day. Or, what seemed like "partial" to us since all we had to compare to was Henry and we thought he was stuck on Mommy. Warren blows Henry out of the water! He almost always wants to be held ("Can I hold you?") and often asks to snuggle ("I snuggle you.") To be honest, I fight feelings of frustration pretty regularly because it's really hard to get anything done. But I know, like all moms, this stage won't last forever and I'll miss it when it's gone.

Our almost-two-year-old (how did that happen?!?!) is full of opinions and is fully able to make them known.

warren turns 2

We had a great time celebrating our little guy's second birthday. It fell on Dameon's spring break again this year, so that allowed for two full days of birthday fun! His actual birthday is March 18, which was on Wednesday. We spent that day in Coralville at the Iowa Children's Museum. We also took in the carousel and the Build A Bear workshop. Grandma Joyce, Grandma Paulette, and Grandpa Chris also got in on the action. We did the carousel first, and Warren was very interested in looking at it and noticing all the horses. When it came time to ride, however, he was terrified. We got through it but for the next thirty minutes he repeatedly told me he did not like ponies anymore. oops. Next we ate lunch at the new pizza restaurant by the food court. It was good but took a really long time to get our food, which resulted in a free kids' meal for Henry. We then headed to the museum which both boys absolutely loved. Henry's favorite part was the grocery store and Warren's was probably ImagineAcres. We took a quick break for Whitey's Ice Cream and then headed back in for more fun. After the museum we made our way to Build A Bear. Henry picked out a Dalmatian dog which he named Pongo. Warren had selected a nice (cheap) simple brown bear, but before he was properly stuffed he had been swooned by the Applejack pony standing atop the shelf in all her Western-wear glory. (not cheap.) Dameon and I exchanged a look and both agreed we couldn't tell the boy 'no' on his birthday. But there was no way we were going to pay to accessorize that girl. Enter Grandma Joyce and she now proudly sports boots, bridle, saddle, and hat. Warren couldn't be prouder. After a light supper at Panera and a homemade pony cake (thanks, Grandpa Chris!) with presents, we headed home with two very tired boys. It was a very fun day with many adorable moments, thanks to the two kiddos. Probably the most precious was Warren wishing everyone else a happy birthday all day long. :)
Saturday was his birthday party with family. We met at High Bridge Horse Farm in Boone. Anne, Libby, and their staff provided a great time with horse rides for everyone. We were hoping Warren would forget the carousel incident and ride a horse, but as he was meeting all the ponies one of them sneezed on him and that about sent him over the edge. For the next hour he told us over and over that he 'don't like it when da pony says a-choo.' At one point I forced him to sit on the smallest pony for a quick photo, but that was all he did. The funniest moment was when my mom mounted her horse while telling her guide that she is very comfortable riding because she grew up on horses and then proceeded to lose her balance and face plant into the mane of the horse. Those of us who only caught the end of that whole sequence thought she was giving the horse a hug. Ha! We all got a good laugh out of that one. After the ride, we went to my parents' church for pizza, cupcakes, and presents. Thanks to everyone who made the trip to Boone to help us celebrate our Warren! (Sorry the pictures are all out of order here. They came from dropbox and my phone and I don't know how to sequence stuff.)

Warren's current stats:

• He is teeny tiny. He hasn't had a well-child check up for a long time but we entered his weight and height into an online growth chart calculator and it said he's below the 5th percentile in both categories! I think he's 23 pounds currently.
• He wears size 4 diapers and has for almost a year. He talks about going potty on the potty chair but I'm not in any hurry. We've tried a couple times but he doesn't get it quite yet.
• He takes one afternoon nap each day which usually lasts about two hours. He usually sleeps through the night unless he's sick.
• He has had a few hair cuts by now. His first one was in November and he has had two since then. His hair color is similar to mine and his eye color is Dameon's. (hazelish brownish)
• He says every word and speaks in full sentences with lots of inflection and expression with his eyebrows (which he calls "eyebrowns"...Henry said that too)
• He can identify all 26 capital letters and several numbers. 
• He knows all his colors and 5 shapes (circle, square, triangle, heart, star)
• He's a pretty good eater. Loves fruit and most veggies. Especially broccoli! He's not as much of a sweet tooth as Henry. He also loves milk but can't have it very often because it makes him constipated.
• He is a major cuddle bug and momma's boy. He calls me his best friend.
• He loves ponies more than any other toy. Ever. He likes the My Little Ponies the best but will accept the "boyish" ponies if other options aren't available. He still frequently totes his Blue Horse around.

current obsessions

I must admit the title of this post is a little misleading. Particularly the word "current." This post should have been published about six weeks ago. Oh well. 

For Warren, life is all about horses and Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? Both interests began sometime around late October. The horses with a trip to our friends' house where they have lots of My Little Ponies and the book with a trip to my parents' house where he caught onto that story. He can now recite the whole thing and has named his pony "Blue Horse." He often has difficulty eating or playing with any other toys because one hand is always occupied. And be prepared for battle when dressing him. Trying to pry Blue Horse from his tiny grasp in order to fit his arm through a sleeve is pure torture. He especially likes to take Blue Horse around town and introduce him to anyone who will listen. He will say, "Dis is my horse! It's my PONY! He has a big hoof!" Recently Blue Horse went missing for an entire week. He had a couple meltdowns about it but then seemed to forget a little bit as the days went on. But last Sunday he found him laying in the basket of hats and mittens and, oh my, the look of pride on his face! Nevermind that in the meantime Dameon and I had scoured the internet searching for another one (which we learned has been discontinued). Thirteen dollars later we have a back-up hanging out in the basement.

Henry's latest interest has been writing the alphabet and trying to put words together. (Yes, this makes my teacher heart soar with pride!) He spends lots of time working on his Magna Doodle. In fact, he almost always wakes up before me in the morning and will just find his way to the couch and write on his Doodle until I get up. He has been particularly interested in writing "Disney D" and will take the opportunity to practice on any scrap of paper he finds. We often find them laying all over the house:

The funniest part of Henry's letter learning is when he makes a mistake and doesn't quite form a letter correctly. Then he'll say, "Whoops. I wrote that one in Spanish."